AirPicker & AirGripper Overview

1. AirPicker & AirGripper Overview

2. What are we here for? • Become acquainted with your Firestone support team • Learn how a Firestone product’s construction contributes to its performance characteristics, and what options exist • Learn the basics of Firestone products’ performance and how to apply these to specific application situations • Learn the key factors to consider when advising your customers about Firestone products’ use (Do’s and Don’ts) • Learn what information to gather and how to communicate it to Firestone in order to get the best assistance we can provide.

3. Introduction Firestone Air Pickers® and Air Grippers™ are unique solutions for non-marring, delicate handling end effector applications Air Picker with robot demonstration

4. Product Introduction

5. Air Picker AirPickers • Inflatable bladders that EXPAND OUTWARD. Generally used to grip the inner surface of an object.

6. Air Gripper AirGrippers • Inflatable bladders that EXPAND INWARD. Generally used to grip the outer surface of an object.

7. AirPicker Construction

8. Construction Fabric Reinforced rubber bladder swaged onto a metal body. 2 stainless steel clamp rings Body is machined stainless steel plated steel or aluminum Air passage drilled through the center of the body Mounting depends on size Threaded hole machined into the body

9. Construction Fabric Reinforcement Firestone AirPicker end effectors use fabric reinforcement to allow for use of higher pressures and controlled inflation diameters.

10. Air Picker Body Materials P006 – P009, Stainless Steel, threaded OD, ID air inlet P010 – P025, Steel, less cost, 2 air inlet holes, flexible design P035 – P045, Aluminum, light weight, 3 mounting holes, 2 air inlet holes, flexible design Air Picker Clamp Rings All sizes are Stainless Steel Construction 1. 3. 2.

11. Fabric structure Longitudinal nylon cords supply the strength to hold the high forces caused by air pressure over a large surface area. Lateral cotton “pick cords” hold the nylon cords together during processing. Once the AirPicker is inflated, the cotton cords break allowing the bellows to flex to its full diameter.

12. Preconditioning Preconditioning of fabric reinforced parts should be done to all fabric reinforced rubber parts! • Prior to preconditioning the rubber sleeve will not inflate to the full diameter shown in the catalog. • In order to break pick cords, inflate unrestricted at maximun recommended working pressure for 30 cycles. • DO NOT hold pressure for an extended period when preconditioning.

13. Identification Style number stamped into body Look at parts in sample case P007 P055

14. Optional Accessories Nose Cone Prevents wear on the tip Fits on both Metric and Imperial Air Pickers Available for P010 – P055 Catalog PGDG Page 18

15. Optional Accessories Wear Sleeve Reduces wear on the sides Fits both Metric and Imperial Air Pickers Available as standard option for P014 – P055 For P006 to P010“Improvise” with surgical tubing Catalog page 18

16. AirGripper Construction

17. Construction Rubber Bladder Swaged onto aluminum body 2 stainless steel clamp rings 4 mounting holes drilled into aluminum body, tapped along the outside diameter with a single air passage

18. Construction Air Gripper Body Materials All Air gripper end effectors have identical mounting configurations. 4 Equally spaced mounting holes along the outside diameter 1 air passage provided as inlet/outlet Air Gripper Clamp Ring Materials • All sizes are Stainless Steel

19. Construction Air Gripper All Rubber Bladder No fabric reinforcement Lower operating pressures “Triangulates” on expansion

20. Construction Rubber Bladder Material Both air pickers and AirGrippersend-effectors use a combination of different elastomers and fabric reinforcement to provide the best possible end-effector for specific applications. NEOPRENE is the standard rubber material. SILICONE is the recommended only in high temperatures applications. Sacrifices significant life due to poor abrasion and tear resistance.

21. Advantages and Precautions

22. Advantages Conform to any shape Multiple size work pieces handled with one end effector Delicate handling Non-marring contact No lubrication required Long life in a dusty environment (no sliding seals) Self centering (AirPickers only)

23. Precautions Preconditioning (AirPicker only) – Discussed previously Avoid contact with sharp objects at all times whether inflated or un-inflated Air pressure should be regulated to insure that the bladder cannot be over inflated Do not leave AirPicker or AirGripper inflated for long periods of time Do not inflate to full operating pressure un-restricted except for preconditioning Inflating AirPicker to diameter larger than recommended will shorten the life

24. Precautions If rubber bladder is cold, inflate several times to warm it up or it might not reach the expected full expansion Holding force will be reduced if the bladder is coated with any lubricant (including water) Insure that the rubber bladder is not contacted by chemicals that will cause damage to the material Direct sunlight and high temperatures will also damage the rubber

25. Precautions Maximum Recommended Working Pressure AirPicker and AirGripper end effectors should not be used beyond their maximum recommended working pressure. Max Pressure varies depending on fabric reinforcement and rubber material

26. Precautions- Chemical Compatibility For more information you can log into the DuPont web site for a much more extensive list. www.dupontelastomers.com/tech_info/chemical.asp

27. Precautions Media • air or any inert gas are acceptable Temperature • Neoprene-18ºC → 74ºC • Silicone-30ºC → 160ºC Contact surface • Should be smooth and dry • Wet surfaces will decrease the grip on the work piece • For rough surfaces, use a wear sleeve Storage • Store in a dark, dry area at room temperature

28. Precautions Working diameter • Stay towards the mid-point of the working diameter range, if possible • If close to the minimum working diameter range, use a nose cone • If close to the maximum working diameter range, try a wear sleeve and the next larger size Unrestricted inflation • If done repeatedly, will damage the part • Rubber could take on a “memory” and not return to the uninflated dimension

29. Precautions Repeated unrestricted Inflation will prematurely damage the end effectors Cycle life can be as low as 1000 cycles Maximum recommended pressure drops to half Protective rubber sleeve or a casing is recommended if required unrestricted inflation

30. AirPicker/AirGrippervs Mechanical The diameter of an Air Picker can increase by almost twice as much as its deflated diameter. You can regulate the amount of air pressure inside a picker or gripper. Allows for a softer touch on delicate objects such as wine glasses. Air P & G’s have a larger contact surface than mechanical grippers (higher load capacity). This has been proven in applications handling freshly molded test tubes. Can handle objects from 8,5 mm to 100 mm. Usually less expensive than mechanical grippers.

31. Basic Catalog Use

32. Air Pickers® and Air Grippers™ Design Guide Introductory Brochure

33. Quick Selection Guide Quick selection page gives you the chance to narrow down your choice before going to the data pages in the catalog Page 22 PGDG

34. Catalog Data Pages Part Options P014 Catalog Page 26 Dimensions Lifting Capacity vs Diameter and Pressure Working diameter versus pressure with and without wear sleeve

35. Product Range Standard product range Various sizes, shapes and custom designs

36. Why do you care?

37. Plastic Wrap Handling

38. Roof Tar Paper (Ice Shield) Open video from folder

39. Large insulator

40. Selection Process

41. Selection Selection procedure • Design Parameter Worksheet, catalog pages 39-40 • Selection Guide & Index, catalog page 22 • Individual Data Page, determine pressure

42. Selection What do you need to know? • Total load required • Available air pressure • Width and depth of contact surface (ID or OD) • Object material • Environmental conditions • Cycle rate • Response time required • Special requirements

43. Design Parameter Sheet

44. Selection Application Example # P1: Load = 4,5 kg Diameter = 25 mm ID Available air pressure = 7 bar Work piece is dry and smooth and contact area is 76 mm long Environmental conditions = operating at room temp

45. Quick Selection Guide Look in the selection guide to determine the part or parts that will fill the requirements Page 22 PGDG

46. Quick Selection Guide P014 will lift between 3,0 and 7,4 kgat a diameter of 20 to 27 mm P017 will lift between 3,5 and 10,4 kgat a diameter of 23 to 32 mm

47. Catalog Data Page Part Options P014 Catalog Page 27 Dimensions Lifting Capacity vs Diameter and Pressure Working diameter versus pressure with and without wear sleeve

48. Selection P017 Catalog Page 28

49. Selection Pressure for P014 – Above 5 bar

50. Selection Pressure for P017 – less than 4 bar